HE'S GOTTA FEED HIS FAMILY

A few years ago, while he was still with the Philadelphia Eagles (and had a deal worth in the neighborhood of $50 million), Terrell Owens was holding out and had the following to say:

"Currently, I am trying to get Philly to restructure my contract because I feel I've earned a bigger paycheck. It's a team matter, so that is all I will be saying."

Now keep in mind the deal was only in its second year, and while you may hear rough things about the City That Booed Santa Claus (we did!), their sports franchises do not normally use Corleone-ian techniques in contract negotiarions.

But T.O. could never leave anything at "all I will be saying," so he was also quoted as follows:

"If they don't wanna pay me, they can trade me. I'll go to camp, but I'll be unhappy. I gotta feed my family..."

I understand that $50 million doesn't go as far as it used to, but I think it would be a while before Mrs. Owens was serving Ramen noodles.

Last week, Terrell Owens signed with a team in the  Indoor Football League, and if we are to believe the article in the latest issue of GQ, a future Hall of Famer who played 15 seasons in the NFL and made at least $80 million, did it for the money. Sadly, Terrell Owens has very little left.

He's broke!

He really does have to worry how to feed his family!

A combination of bad investments, large child support payments, and trusting the wrong people have left Terrell Owens with very little to show for his time as a star player.

"I hate myself for letting this happen," Owens said. "I believed that they had my back when they said, 'You take care of the football, and we'll do the rest.' And in the end, they just basically stole from me."

Terrell Owens is ready to play football again. He says he's completely recovered from the knee injury that required surgery last summer, works out three hours a day to keep that physique he's famous for and even has a stack of shoe boxes filled with new cleats waiting by the door of his Los Angeles condo.

"I'm ready," Owens said. "They may not be ready for me, but me: I'm ready."

Owens, 38, has the second-most receiving yards in NFL history, and might have been the best ever at his position. I could make the argument. Sadly, Owens talent was overshadowed by his behavior off the field, but within the boundaries of the sport. Seen as showboating egomaniac who was a great player but known to be a terrible teammate, becoming a force of disruption and distraction on three teams (San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas). While he seemed to have grown up in Buffalo and Cincinnati, his reputation has followed him and no team seems to want him playing for them.

"They, you, need a bad guy," Owens said, referring to the media. "I think people change, but the media, they never allowed me to change. They never allowed me to be a better person."

Owens insists he has a few more playing years left in him. "I will be here next year," he said. "I'll be fit and healthy and ready to play."

WHERE'S BRETT WHEN YA NEED HIM?

Michael Strahan broke the NFL single season sack record with 22.5 sacks in 2001, by sacking Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers in the final regular season game.

Favre was the target of controversy after the incident, as it was Strahan's lone sack of the game and some analysts expressed the opinion that Favre allowed himself to be sacked in order to allow Strahan to set the record.

Some remember Favre laying down in the waning seconds of that game to give Strahan an easy sack.

Said Michael Freeman in the New York Times:

Yes, Mr. Favre, Strahan deserves the record, but please, handing it to him the way you did, as if you were throwing change into a Salvation Army bucket, is the kind of mistake Favre may never live down.

I was a little surprised last year when this was brought up on ESPN's Mike & Mike In The Morning, and both Mikes and their guest (I forgot who) spoke about the event as if there was no question that Favre gave up the record.

Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings had 22 sacks in the recently wrapped 2011 season.

And not one quarterback laid down for him.

In fact, they tried NOT to be sacked.

Unfortunately for Allen, he fell just short of the record that was in his crosshairs throughout the entire season.

Since Strahan's record-breaking season, only one other player besides Allen has broken the 20-sack mark (DeMarcus Ware in 2008 with 20).


"It's like being runner-up at the prom," Allen said of falling short of Strahan's record. "The crown (for second place) doesn't weight as much, I guess."

There was an interesting article that mentions a possible uncredited sack that would have given Allen the record anyway (see the site HERE)

In his "Snap Judgements" column, SI.com's Don Banks said what many were thinking when it comes to that particular mark.

I don't know about you, but I am going to recognize Vikings defensive end Jared Allen as the NFL's all-time single-season sack king, with the 22 he racked up this year, capped by Sunday's big 3.5-sack showing in a loss to Chicago.


Allen may have come up a half-sack shy of Michael Strahan's 2001 record of 22.5 sacks in the eyes of the league, but we all remember how Strahan got the record-breaker that season.

I wonder if Brett Favre had a flashback Sunday and fell down without a fight somewhere?

I feel bad that Michael Strahan still has to answer questions about the validity of his record, but considering that Brett ended his career by basically acting like a little girl, I love that not only has this not been forgotten, it is not just remembered by non-Favre-fans like me and Stephen T. McCarthy!

Because if you google Jared Allen sacks for 2011, there are an awful lot of mentions about Brett lying down!

Said an analyst on one of the major television networks Sunday night (speaking of Allen's attempt at the record)?

"Where's Brett Favre when you need him?"

Check it out-even the official NFL site seems to question the legitimacy of Strahan's Favre sack!

This is where Favre could've come into play because, much like he took a dive to give Strahan the record, Allen could've used a similar assist from Bears quarterback McCown.